{"id":6544,"date":"2018-02-28T09:30:51","date_gmt":"2018-02-28T14:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stpeterorthodoxchurch.com\/?p=6544"},"modified":"2018-02-28T09:30:51","modified_gmt":"2018-02-28T14:30:51","slug":"st-peter-newsletter-february-28-2018-second-sunday-of-great-lent-st-gregory-palamas-archbishop-of-thessalonica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stpeterorthodoxchurch.com\/st-peter-newsletter-february-28-2018-second-sunday-of-great-lent-st-gregory-palamas-archbishop-of-thessalonica\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Peter Newsletter February 28, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great<\/h4>\n

Venerable Gerasimos of the Jordan; Gregory, Bishop of Constantia in Cyprus;
\nMartyrs Paul and Juliana of Palestine; Daniel the Wonderworker, Prince of Moscow<\/h4>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

From “A Man Fully Alive<\/a>” by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick.<\/em><\/p>\n

On the Second Sunday of Great Lent we celebrate St. Gregory Palamas, the archbishop of Thessalonica in Greece for a number of years in the 14th century, right around the same time that Geoffrey Chaucer was born, the man who wrote The Canterbury Tales.<\/p>\n

But before he became an archbishop, Gregory was a monk on the holy mountain of Athos. During his time there and also when he later became an archbishop, Gregory was involved in a controversy that cut straight to the heart of this longing for life that all of us who are sons and daughters of Adam share.<\/p>\n

At that time, there was a certain heretic named Barlaam, who was from the southern part of Italy, which was Greek-speaking at the time. Barlaam made the claim that the highest possible knowledge of God that anyone could have was through the mind, that the philosophers knew God better than the prophets and even the apostles.<\/p>\n

Gregory answered that the human mind, while a great gift from God, was not actually capable of the kind of intimate knowledge and communion that Adam had received from God, that there was something much deeper, that the Christian could actually know God and see Him with the heart, as a light shining in. And indeed, sometimes this heart knowledge of God was so powerful and so pervasive that some people were actually seeing the light of God with their physical eyes.<\/p>\n

Isn’t that why we’re here? Don’t we want to see God? Aren’t we here not just to learn about God with our minds, but truly to know Him with our hearts?<\/p>\n

Read Fr. Damick’s complete essay here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read a brief history of St. Gregory Palamas here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/div>\n

St. Basil Liturgy Celebrated During Lent<\/h2>\n

\"St.<\/p>\n

During the Lenten Sundays we celebrate St. Basil’s Liturgy instead of our usual St. John Chrysostom Liturgy. St. John’s liturgy is derived from St. Basil’s but the prayers are a bit shorter.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Lenten Women’s Retreat on Saturday, March 3, 2018<\/h2>\n
\"The
The Annunciation of the Theotokos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Lenten Retreat for women will be held at St. Peter’s on Saturday, March 3, 2018. The women from St. Paul’s will join us.<\/p>\n

The topic will be on the Theotokos as our teacher and guide. Fr. Hans and Fr. Paul Girgis will be the presenters. The retreat begins at 9:00am.<\/p>\n

Please register by using the form on the website<\/a> or at Church on Sundays.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/div>\n

Lenten Suppers Following Wednesday Presanctified Liturgies<\/h2>\n
\"Man<\/div>\n

On Wednesday evenings following Presanctified Liturgy we will share in a light Lenten supper of lentil soup, bread and fruit. This is a practice of many churches and provides rich fellowship and sharing.<\/p>\n

During the supper we will have a very short presentation on a theme particular to Lent.<\/p>\n

Mark You Calendars: Palm Sunday Brunch and Pascha Dinner!<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Plan on attending St. Peter’s Palm Sunday Brunch following the Palm Sunday Divine Liturgy on April 1, 2018. We will have a sign up sheet available shortly. Sign up if you plan to attend so we can prepare properly. Suggested donations are $10 per person with no cost for children.<\/p>\n

Following the Agape Vespers on Sunday, April 8, plan on attending our church wide Pascha celebration. The menu includes lamb, potatoes, and other items. This is a wonderful way to share fellowship and bread to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was a huge success last year and will be a joy again this year.<\/p>\n

There’s a place for you at the table!<\/em><\/p>\n

Donations for Holy Week flowers Needed<\/h2>\n

Flowers beautify the Church and are essential part of Orthodox worship during Holy Week and Pascha. Please give your donation for flowers to Angela Long who is overseeing this project this year.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Interfaith Charities Needs Our Help!<\/h2>\n

\"Interfaith<\/p>\n

Interfaith Charities has asked us to help supply:<\/p>\n